Internal combustion engine



Nov. 5, 1935. c. R NYASEIGE INTERNAL CO MBUSTIQN ENGiNE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 30, 1930 .5 in; I f INVENTOR i C/zarieskaymondWaaeiye.

9 ,1 BY Z v -ArT NEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R O T N E V m W M, F W w M 6 m m C N EM Nav. 5, 1935.

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of ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 5, 1935- PATENT OFFICE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Charles Raymond Waseige, Rueil, France, as-

signor to Eclipse Aviation Corporation, East Orange, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 30, 1930, Serial No. 485,485

ficlaims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for supplying fuel to an internal com bustion engine.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide internal combustion engines, and particularly en-.

gines employed on aircraft, with superchargers in an effort to maintain sea-level pressure in the intake manifold whereby loss of power in rarefied atmosphere is reduced. Considerable power is required to drive the supercharger and if the latter is designed to secure the desired result at very high altitudes a large amount of engine power is lost when operating at the intermediate altitudes where a portion only of the supercharger output is required. Furthermore, superchargers of the type used heretofore have, for the most part, required changes in'. the design and construction of the engines on which the same are mounted, thus adding greatly to the cost of the installation.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide novel supercharging mechanism which is so constructed as to overcome the above-mentioned 'diificulties.

. Another Object of the invention is to provide novel supercharging means embodying a plurality of compressor units adapted to conjoint actuation at the will ofv the operator.

Another object is to provide in combination with a continuously driven compressor unit, a second unit adapted to be driven at high speed and rendered operable at the desired altitude by the operator.

A further object is to provide novel driving and control means for the selectively operable supercharger or compressor unit.

A still further object is to provide a novel method for supplying a combustible mixture to an internal combustion engine whereby the desired temperature of the mixture is maintained and the desired intake manifold pressure is maintained at high altitudes.

Other objects include the provision of novel supercharging means adapted to be installed as a unit; to provide a structure which may be applied to existing engines without changes in the design thereof; to provide a compressor unit adapted to be driven from power transmitting means associated with the engine starter; and

' ed claims.

One struoturalembodiment of the invention adapted to carry out the novel method is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views. It is to be expressly under- 5 stood, however, that the drawings are for pur-. poses of illustration only, and are not designed.

as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the append- In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an axial view in section of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of a portion of the yielding driving means shown in Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 4; and- Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the speed increasing means which may be employed fordriving the high. speed compressor unit.

In the form shown, the structure of the present invention is associated with the rear end of an internal combustion engine having a shaft ill case casing it, and is provided with bearing surfaces l9 and ii disposed in the casings l3 and M, respectively. The rear end of the shaft I8 is provided with an engine starter engaging member 22 which was originally adapted for engagement with a member of an engine starter. The gear l5 also meshes with a pinion 23, which is preferably an integral part of a gear 24, rotatably mounted on a shaft 25. supported by the diffuser casing at its outer end and by the housing l2 at its inner end, and mounted thereon in any suitable manner. The gear 24 meshes with a pinion 26 rigidly fixed to or forming a part of an impeller shaft 21 mounted in the diffuser casing l3 by means of bearings 28 and 29. An ime peller 34 is rigidly fixed to the outer end of the shaft 21 and adapted to rotate therewith. Impeller 34 is thus continuously driven from the crank shaft gear I5 through pinion 23, gear 24, pinion'26, and shaft 21.

' retained thereon by threaded means 65.

A carburetor 35, of any selected type, is attached to the casing I4 by means of bolts 38, the fuel passage of the carburetor 35 being adapted to register with the fuel passage 36 leading to the impeller 34. Formed between the diffuser casing and casing I4, is a diffuser section 31 leading to a fuel collector 38 formed at the periphery of the diffuser section by the diffuser casing and easing I4. The collector 38 is provided with radiaL-flanged openings 4I into which extend-radial pipes 42 leading to corresponding radial cylinders (not shown) of the engine.

The impeller 34 will operate to thoroughly commingle the mixture of air and fuel from the carburetor and further serve to deliver the mixture to the intake manifold of an engine at a pressure greater than atmospheric whereby the engine will operate at full sea-level power up to an altitude where the impeller will deliver the fuel mixture to' the manifold at a pressure substantially the same as atmospheric pressure.

When an altitude is reached such that the impeller 34 is ineffective to maintain the desired pressure in the intake a second supercharger is provided which is operated at the will of the operator to augment the impeller 34 and thus maintain sufficient fuel pressure within the engine manifold as the altitude of the engine increases. I

For carrying out the above operation, the removable unitary structure II is provided including'a mounting plate 43 disposed on the outer end of the casing I4,=.instead of the usual cover plate, and removably secured thereto by any suitable means such as screws I 4', a novel yielding clutch having a casing 44 removably secured to the mounting plate 43 by any suitable means such as screws 43!, said casing 44 being provided with a cylindrical opening 45 having an out wardly extending cylindrical flange 46, a suitable engine starter 41, such as that illustrated and described in Patent No. 1,741,370 issued to R. P. Lansing dated December 31, 1929 attachably secured to the flange 46 by means such as bolts 48, and a supercharger having a casing 48 attachably secured to the clutch casing by suitable means such as screws 44.

An engaging member 52 of the starter 41 is normally held in a retracted position and is drivably connectible to the engine crank shaft for rotating the same through a cooperating engaging member 53 rigidly fixed to the upper end of shaft 54, the latter being rotatably disposed in bearings 55 and 56 mounted in bearing brackets 51 on the casing 44. The lower end of the shaft 54 is provided with a gear 58 fixed thereto by splines 58 and retained thereon by threaded means 6I. The gear 58 meshes with a gear 62 fixed'to an extension shaft 63 by splines 64 and Shaft 63 is. rotatably supported in bearings 66 and 61 mounted in bearing brackets 68 on the mounting plate 43. The inner end of the shaft 63 carries an engaging member 68 rigidly fixed thereon'and adapted to drivably engage the'engaging member 22 on the shaft I8.

It can be seen, therefore, that the crank shaft of the engine may be rotated by the starter through the cooperating engaging members 52 and 53, shaft 54, gears 58 and 62, shaft 63, engaging members 68 and 22, shaft I8, and gear I I which meshes with gear I5 on the engine crank shaft.

The rotor 5| of the supercharger is drivably connected to the engine crank, shaft and, since the engine energy is so great that damage would result to the supercharger parts at the time the rotor is connected to the engine if said rotor were rigidly connected to said engine, a yielding driving connection is provided between the engine 5 crank shaft and the supercharger rotor. In the form'shown, the yielding driving connection is constituted by a novel clutch, which will be better understood as the specification progresses.

The rotor 5I is drivably connected with the 10 engine crank shaft through shaft 53 which is provided with a gear II rigidly splined thereon as shown at I2. The gear I2 meshes with a pinion I3 splined on a shaft I4 of the yielding connection represented in its entirety by" and re- 15 tained thereon by a threaded. means 11.

The yielding clutch 13 comprises a circular disc 18 rigidly flxed to or forming an integral part of shaft 14 (Fig. 2), the disc being disposed at substantially right angles to the axis of the 28 shaft. The latter is rotatably supported at its outer end in bearing I8 mounted in a bearing bracket 8I on the casing 44. Suitable retaining sleeves 32 and threaded means 33 are provided for maintaining the bearing I8 in its proper po- 25 sition. The shaft I4 extends through a hollow shank 84 of a weight-carrying member 35 and is,rotatably supported at the inner end of the hollow shank 34 by bearings 33 pressed into an inner recess in the inner end of. the shank 34. The weight-carrying member 35 is rotatably supported on an enlarged portion 31 of shaft 14 by means of a bearing 33 pressed into an inner recess of ,the outer end of the hollow shank 34, the bearing 88 being maintainedv in its proper position by gear 88 loosely disposed on the shaft 14 and rigidly fixed to the outer face of the weight-carrying member 85 by means of rivets 88, the inner end of the hollow shank 84 being rotatably supported in bearing 8| mounted in 40 the casing 44 and retained in its proper position by means of a cylindricalJretaining sleeve. 82. The latter is provided with a barrel-shaped extension 83 on which is loosely mounted a thrust bearing 84, the purpose of which will later be 45 described.

A combined clutch and gear member 85 is rigidly fixed to the outer face and adjacent the periphery of the weight-carrying member 85 by means of bolts 86. The outer periphery of the 50 member 85 is shaped to form a spur gear 81 and is provided with an inwardly extending annular flange 88 spaced apart from, and forming a recess I88 between the outer face of the member 85. The inner face of the flange is provided with an 55 annular frictional element 88 secured thereto by means of rivets 88. An annular disc I 8| is dis.- posed within the recess I88 and carries a frictiona1 element I82 fixed on its outer face by means of rivets I83. The inner periphery of disc I8I so is provided with teeth to form an internal gear I84 which meshes with the gear 88' to prevent relative rotation of the gear 88 and disc I8I,' but permitting longitudinal movement therebetween. The opposed faces of the frictional elements 83* 05 and I82 are adapted to receive a portion of the disc 18 adjacent its periphery and to permit relative rotation therebetween so long as the clutch I6 is in open position.

The frictional engagement of the clutch ele- 70 ments is obtained by means of rocking levers I85 provided with centrifugal weights I81 carried by arms I86. The levers I 85 are pivotally mounted on axles II4, disposed between pairs of radial projections I88 and I I I integral with the inner 7 face of member 85. Projections I I2 are provided on the rocking levers for engagement with longitudinally movable pins II3 disposed in transverse openings II5 in the member 85, the inner ends of said pins having engagement with disc I6I. If desired, spring means may be used to constantly urge the levers I05 into contact position with a predetermined pressure. However,

the clutch faces may be so designed as to constantly exert a small amount of frictional pressure one against the other even when the weightployed for moving the bearing 94 into or outer sures will open the valve I51 and permit addi contact with the levers.

A speed increasing connection is provided. between the supercharger rotor and the novel clutch means whereby the rotor may be driven at a very'high rate of speed. The rotor 5I is drivably connected' to the gear 91 formed on the member 95 through pinions I I6 and III; (Figsl and 3) rigidly mounted on the inner ends of shafts I11 and H1 The latter are rotatably supported in bearings H8 and H8 mounted in a bracket I19 fixed to the casing 49 by means of bolts I21. Thebearings H8 and III! are retained in their proper position by means of sleeves I22 and I22 and threaded means I23 and I23, respectively. The outer ends of the shafts I11 and H1 are rotatably supported in bearings I24 and I24, respectively, mounted in the casing 49 and are provided with gears I25 and I25 loosely mounted thereon and drivably connected t the cooperating pinions on the opposite ends of the shafts by frictional means I26.

Each of the frictional means I26 comprises a plurality of discs I28 aving their outer peripheries fixed to the inn r surface of the gear, and alternate discs I29 have their inner peripheries fixed to the adjacent shaft I I1 or H1. Discs I28 and I29 are maintained in frictional engage- 'ment one with the other by means of springs 131. The latter are positioned about the respective shafts and maintained in proper spaced relation by cup members I32 and pins I33 fixed to the outer face of the respective gear members II6 andIIG. Gears I25 and I25 are positioned to mesh with a gear I34 secured to the ported in bearing I31 disposed in the rotor-casing 49.

The supercharger casing 49 is provided with an air intake I38 and with a collector I39. A supply pipe or duct I'4I leading from the collector I39 is connected to one side of an inter-cooler I42 (which is shown diagrammatically), the cooler being connected in any suitable manner to the intake of the carburetor 35 by means of a Y- connection I44. An automatic valve such as shown at I41 is provided within the Y- shaped connection for admitting atmospheric pressure to the carburetor through opening I48, or air; under pressure from the supercharger by way of the cooler I42 and opening I49. The I opening I48 may be providedwith a heater (not shown) of a suitable type for supplying heated air to the carburetor in cold weather.

Suitable manual or automatic means may be provided at the supercharger intake I38 for con- :0 trolling the supply of air to the supercharger For this purpose a manually operable valve such as shown at I5I may be provided in intake I38 or automaticmeans of the barometric type, such as is diagrammatically shown at I52, may be pro- 15 vided for controlling the supply of air to the intake. The barometric device illustrated comprises a sealed expansible bellows I53 which has one end secured to casing I54 and its free end in contact with the end of lever I56 whereby ex- 10 pansion of the bellows at low atmospheric prestional air to enter through openings I51.

In-operation, the starter 41 is actuated whereupon member 52 engages the jaw 53 and rotates 25 the crank shaft gear ,I5 through the gearing above described, until the engine I ii is. started. The impeller 34 is driven by the gear I5 and'constitutes a continuously operable built-in supercharger for supplying fuel to the engine cylinders 80 by way of the diffuser 31, collector 38, and fuel pipes 42.

During the foregoing operation, the supercharger 49 remains in a disconnected relation with the engine and therefore the impeller 34 is as supplied with fuel through the carburetor 35 at atmospheric pressure by way of the opening I43 of the Y-connection I44. When an altitude is reached such that the member 34 is ineffective to maintain the desired pressure in the intake, the 40. operator partially opens the throttle valve 15!, or any barometric device, as indicated at I52, may be used to automatically open valve HI and permit air to enter intake I38. Bearing 94 is now manually moved out of contact with the 4 levers I85 to permit a-free action of the centrifugal weights I01 whereby the clutch is engaged to drive the second supercharger by way of the continuously rotating shaft 63, gear 1|, pinion 13, clutch 16, gear 91, pinions I16 and N6 shafts II1 and H1 gears I25 and I25, and gear I34 of the rotor shaft I35. The second supercharger now coacts with the first to provide the desired pressure in the intake manifold. The effect of the second supercharger may now be varied as desired by controlling the position of valve I5I. The pressure of the air passing through cooler I42 will automatically close valve I41, which remains closed until such time as the control 94 is actuated to move the centrifugal weights I01 to inoperative position permitting the clutch toslip and the operation of rotor 5| to be discontinued As soon as the speed of the second supercharger is retarded to the point where the pressure from the cooler is approxi- 85 mately the same as the atmospheric pressure, the valve I41 will operate to permit atmospheric pressure to pass to the carburetor 35 through the opening I48.

There is thus provided a method and apparatus for further supercharging an engine having a built-in supercharger and means for positively controlling the operation of the second supercharger without changing the structure of the engine. 15

An important feature of the invention'resides in the novel manner in which the device is con- I structed and assembled into a unitary structure so that it may be readily attached to any known engine for, which it may be designed.

Another advantage resides in the novel manher in which the starter mechanism is assembled with the unitary structure and adapted to utilize certain parts of the device in common with the second supercharger" whereby the device may be built compact, light of weight, and particularly adapted'for use where compactness and weight I are important factors in the design of the equipment. I 1

While I have illustrated but one embodiment of this invention in connection with a radial engine, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be readily applied to other types .of internal combustion engines.

- Other changes, modifications, substitutions, ad-

ditions, and omissions may be made in the structure described without departing from the 'spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described in combination with the crank shaft of an internal combustion engine, a carburetor 'for mixing fuel and air for delivery to the cylinders ofthe engine, means continuously driven by the crank shaft and interposed between said carburetor and cylinders for compressing said mixture, and

for delivering the same to said cylinders, manually engageable means driven by the crank shaft for supplying air under pressure to' said carburetor whereby the mixture delivered by the said continuously driven means is introduced into the cylinders at an increased'pressure, means forniing an atmospheric opening to said carburetor,

.a valve for controlling the opening, and a barometric actuated valve for controlling the amount of air supplied to the carburetor by the second compressing means in accordance with atmospheric pressure.

2. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a supercharger continuously driven thereby having its outlet connected with the engine, a carburetor having its outlet connected to the supercharger inlet, a second supercharger having its outlet communicating with the carburetor inlet, a clutch for operatively connecting the second supercharger to the engine at the carburetor havingits outlet connected to the supercharger inlet, a second supercharger having its outlet communicating with the carburetor inlet, an atmospheric opening between the carburetor and the second supercharger, an autoer and the carburetor, a clutch for operatively 5 connecting the second supercharger to the engine at the will of the operator, and barometric means for automatically controlling the air inlet to the second supercharger in accordance with atmospheric pressure.

4. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a supercha'rgerhaving its outlet connected with the engine and arranged to be continuously driven thereby, a carburetor having its outlet connected to the supercharger inlet, said carburetor having two inlet passages. a second supercharger having its outlet in communication with one of said inlet passages, an intercooler interposed between the second supercharger and the carburetor, a clutch for operatively connecting the second supercharger to the engine at the will of the operator, a valvearranged in the second supercharger inlet adapted to control the air supply to the second supercharger, and an automatic pressure actuated valve adapted to control both of said carburetor passages in a manner to close one passage when the other is open.

5. Incombination with an internal combustion :engine, a supercharger continuously driven thereby having its outlet connected withthe engine, a carburetor having its outlet connected to the supercharger inlet, a second supercharger having its outlet communicating with the carburetor inlet, an atmospheric'opening between the carburetor and the second supercharger, an inwardly opening flapper valve having one edge hinged adjacent said opening for controlling the same, an' intercooler between the second supercharger and the carburetor, a clutch for operatively connecting the second supercharger to the engine at 40 the will of the operator, and barometric means for automatically'controlling the air inlet to the second supercharger in accordance with atmospheric pressure.

6. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a supercharger having its outlet connected with the engine and arranged to be continuously driven thereby, a carburetor having its outlet connected to the supercharger inlet, said carburetor having two inlet passages with intersect- 5 ing side walls, a second supercharger having its outlet in communication with one of said inlet passages, an intercooler interposed between the second supercharger and carburetor, a clutch for operatively connecting the second supercharger 5 to the engine at the will of the operator, a valve arranged in the second supercharger inlet adapted to control the air supply to the second supercharger, and an inwardly opening flapper valve hinged at the intersection of the intake passage side walls adapted to control both of said passages in a manner to close one passage when the other is open.

CHARLES RAYMOND WASEIGE. 5 

